Match Preview: Republic FC vs. Fresno FC

By Sean Steimel, 06/29/18, 2:45PM PDT

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Republic FC head down to the Central Valley on Saturday for their second bout of the season with Fresno FC. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

FRESNO, Calif. — Sacramento Republic FC are back on the road this week, returning to the Central Valley for a second time this month to take on Fresno FC on Saturday, June 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will be broadcast live on KQCA My58, Estrella TV, and ESPN+.

Saturday’s match will be the second of three regular season encounters between the two sides. Luis Espino scored the lone goal in the June 13th match at Chukchansi Park to give Republic FC the 1-0 win. Fresno will make their only trip to Sacramento on August 4th. The two sides also played to a 1-1 draw in a preseason friendly in March.

Republic FC come into the match after enduring their toughest stretch of schedule in the month of June. After falling 3-2 on the road in the Round of 16 of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup to MLS side LAFC, Republic FC returned home last Saturday to face Saint Louis FC. Despite going up 2-0 through a Cameron Iwasa brace, Saint Louis scored two in the second half, including a stoppage-time free kick goal from Wal Fall, to equalize. The draw moved Republic FC’s record to 8-4-5, good for third place in the Western Conference.

Iwasa’s brace moves his team-leading USL goal mark to seven on the year. It also marked his 19th USL goal for Republic FC, moving him one goal behind club legend Rodrigo Lopez on the club’s all-time USL goal list. Iwasa sits in third on Republic FC’s all-competition scoring list with 21 goals, behind Lopez’s 26 and Thomas Stewart’s 23.

Fresno FC (4-7-7) enter Saturday’s match on a two-game road losing streak and in 11th place in the Western Conference. After falling to Switchbacks FC 1-0 in Colorado, the Foxes travelled to Utah to play the top team in the West, Real Monarchs SLC. Andrew Brody scored early for Monarchs and Fresno finished the match a man down after midfielder Jemal Johnson drew two yellow cards as Real Monarchs prevailed 1-0.

Fresno’s roster features many familiar faces to Republic FC fans. Mickey Daly and Augustin Cazarez, members of Sacramento’s 2014 USL Championship-winning side have both featured in the starting 11 for the Foxes this year. Former Republic FC captain Danny Barrera and Christian Chaney have also played key roles for Fresno in its inaugural season. Ramon Martin Del Campo, a standout center back at UC Davis and teammate of Elliott Hord with the Aggies, has been a mainstay in the backline for Fresno. Adam Smith is in his first year in charge of Fresno FC after four years as an assistant coach for Republic FC.